Van Jones called Donald Trump's presidential victory a "whitelash" on CNN Wednesday morning, describing the election result was a backlash against an African-American president.
Jones, a CNN analyst and a former special adviser for the Obama administration, said he thought the election of Trump over Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, had racial and cultural undertones because of the current president Barack Obama and the country's changing demographics.
"This was a whitelash against a changing country," Jones said on CNN. "It was whitelash against a black president in part. And that's the part where the pain comes."
Jones said he was texted by Muslim friends who asked if they should leave the United States because of Trump's presidency. The alleged reaction was probably connected to Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the country due to concerns over terrorism last December, the Daily Mail noted.
In June, Trump revised his proposed ban to Muslims from countries with heavy terrorism, The Washington Post noted.
"You tell your kids don't be a bully, you tell your kids don't be a bigot... and then you have this outcome," Jones said on CNN. "You have people putting children to bed tonight and they are afraid of breakfast. They're afraid of 'How do I explain this to my children?'"
Jones comments were met with mixed reactions on social media.